Apparatus for offset printing capsules

Claim 1

Apparatus for printing capsule parts comprising a capsule mold pin bar carrying perpendicularly a row of capsule mold pins adapted for forming capsule parts by the dip molding technique, fixture means for mounting the pin bar at a printing station, platen means carrying a row of deformable offset printing pad surfaces, the said pin row and printing surface row being mutually matched such that all of the respective pins and printing surfaces are in registry when the two rows are brought together in printing relation, the platen means being mounted by a parallelogram linkage to reciprocate between an inking position and a printing position, gravure means for inking said printing surfaces comprising an offset gravure roll carrying peripheral gravure recesses corresponding in number and in spacing to the printing pad surfaces such that said surfaces can be brought into one-to-one contact with the gravure recesses in the inking position, and means for bringing said rows into registry at the printing station such that a predetermined portion of a capsule part forMed on each pin can be printed.